never seen a player take a 180 degree change in his game, I was really routing for Matt to get 20 goals 2 years ago, seemed like he deserved to get that. He deserves the money he will get for the next 3 seasons. Good luck Matt wish you and your family all the success in Minni.

Matt Cooke really is a good hockey player underneath the reputation that he brought upon himself in Vancouver. He's a very conscious defensive player, he's a very good penalty killer, he's good on the forecheck. He's a great off-the-scoresheet player that can sometimes be tough to appreciate if you're not looking for it. He's been an integral part of this team since his arrival and will be very difficult to replace certainly.

All the best in Minnesota, Matt, thank you for your contribution here!

taz71 wrote:Kudos to Matt Cooke on his new contract and best wishes to him at Minnesota

Cookie monster played his role well here in Pittsburgh. Well always remember him well for his part on the "Best 3rd line in hockey"

+1

Appreciate the player, but think it worked out best for both parties this offseason.

Good luck to him.

Cooke moving on did not work out well for the Pens. He has not and likely will not be replaced. They'll lose him on the defensive side of the puck, hopefully Bennett's offensive contributions will help to offset that.

taz71 wrote:Kudos to Matt Cooke on his new contract and best wishes to him at Minnesota

Cookie monster played his role well here in Pittsburgh. Well always remember him well for his part on the "Best 3rd line in hockey"

+1

Appreciate the player, but think it worked out best for both parties this offseason.

Good luck to him.

Cooke moving on did not work out well for the Pens. He has not and likely will not be replaced. They'll lose him on the defensive side of the puck, hopefully Bennett's offensive contributions will help to offset that.

Not sure if you are saying Bennett is Cooke's replacement, but Bennett is one of the better forwards defensively. Very responsible and while he isn't overly physical, he is a surgeon with the stick defensively and will take the body.

Cooke will be missed though. I really was not crazy about his transformation the season before last, because I thought his hitting suffered. This past season, he found the balance between hitting and exposing himself to suspension.

Bennett will likely take his minutes. He's obviously not his replacement though, and not as good as Cooke defensively and certainly unproven on the pk. Cooke was effectively the team's first guy out against the best. Him and Sutter anyway.